The end of the "trial of the century" heralds fresh turmoil, writes Gamal Essam El-Din Former president Hosni Mubarak is behind bars, beginning to serve a life sentence against which -- given the terms of the judgement handed down by the presiding judge -- many legal experts expect him to successfully appeal. Mubarak's interior minister Habib El-Adli also received a 25-year sentence. Six of El-Adli's senior aides, being tried alongside their former bosses, were acquitted of any involvement in the deaths of peaceful protesters, while Mubarak, his two sons Alaa and Gamal, and their business associate Hussein Salem, were acquitted of charges of corruption and illegal profiteering. Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat cited a technicality -- specific charges against Mubarak, his sons and business associates related to actions that took place more than 10 years ago and therefore fell outside the statute of limitations -- for the verdict relating to corruption. In the People's Assembly the Muslim Brotherhood -- the group's candidate Mohamed Mursi faces Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafik in the second round of presidential elections on 16-17 June -- accused the judiciary and intelligence agencies of deliberately ignoring, and in many cases destroying evidence against the six defendants. MP Mohamed El-Beltagui, a leading member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), issued a grim threat: "The stalwarts of the Mubarak regime will never be back," he said. "Thousands are ready to sacrifice their lives for this goal." El-Beltagui accused Mubarak's now-defunct State Security apparatus of shredding evidence that would have sent the security chiefs to prison, while Salafi MP Younis Makhyoun pointed out that the "2 July ruling paved the way for Mubarak and El-Adli to appeal the verdict and be acquitted of all charges". MPs singled out Ahmed Refaat -- the judge responsible for acquitting the police officers -- for censure. Wafdist MP and lawyer Mahmoud El-Sakka accused Refaat of making basic legal errors while independent lawyer Hamdi El-Fakharani joined the chorus of condemnation claiming Refaat was himself guilty of corruption, having used his links with the Mubarak regime to secure land along the Cairo Alexandria road at a knockdown price. Meanwhile, some liberal MPs objected to the way the Brotherhood appeared to be hijacking the debate in order to promote its own candidate's election chances. In a bid to contain the anger prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud -- himself a Mubarak appointee -- appealed the verdict. He also stressed that the acquittal of Mubarak's two sons does not mean they will be released since they were named -- just days ahead of the judgement being issued -- as defendants in another corruption case. The prosecutor-general's response came against a backdrop of growing unrest with the verdict, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets in towns and cities across Egypt. They have accused the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) of pressuring the court and are demanding that the judiciary itself be cleansed of corrupt practices. Mursi paid a visit to Tahrir Square on Sunday in a clear attempt to court the protesters but quickly left. Several Brotherhood members, however, joined the Tahrir rally in a bid to turn the anger of protesters towards their presidential rival Ahmed Shafik. The Brotherhood, which in the run-up to parliamentary and presidential polls it thought it would win resolutely refused to back any demonstrations to the extent of remaining tightlipped over the massacre of protesters late last year, also announced it would join a rally on Tuesday calling for the re-trial of Mubarak and the dismissal of the prosecutor-general. The rally's organisers are also demanding the first round of presidential election be cancelled and a presidential council be installed. These latter demands are unlikely to meet with Brotherhood approval. Struggling to contain the effects of the Mubarak ruling on his election campaign, Shafik held a press conference on 3 June at which he accused the Muslim Brotherhood of exploiting the judgement to promote its own interests and of harassing Egyptian Christians. He also charged the Brotherhood with "concluding secret deals with the Mubarak regime during the 2005 election while alleging that it is not part of this regime". Following the sentence Mubarak was taken to Tora prison where he was required to change from a while to blue uniform, signalling he is now a convict. State TV reported that the former president broke into tears during the transfer to the prison hospital. Mubarak's health immediately deterriorated upon his transfer to the prison hospital, leading prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud to order a committee to look into the necessity of transferring Mubarak to a military or private hospital. Until Al-Ahram Weekly went to print Wednesday afternoon, the committee's decision was not yet released. On Monday Mubarak was visited by his wife Suzanne and two daughters in law.
